Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to fantasy sports leagues. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods related to fantasy sports leagues.
Description of the Related Art
One way to more actively follow sports is through sports betting. Sports betting has become increasingly popular, especially with the promotion of gaming via the Internet. In sports betting, combining two or more games into a single wager is known as a “parlay” wager. Traditional parlay wagers require that all of the two or more games chosen by the bettor beat the predetermined “spread”, which is a range of outcomes rather than a “win or lose” outcome. Because it is more difficult to win a parlay wager rather than an individual wager, the payout for parlay wagers is often higher than the payout for an individual wager.
In traditional sports betting, the spread of a particular sporting event changes as a majority of wagers move to one side over the other. This distributes the wagers to level the playing field for subsequent wagers prior to the start of the sporting event. The payout is based on the odds the bettor received at the time of placing the wager.
For sports enthusiasts who cannot or do not want to engage in traditional sports betting, fantasy sports leagues have emerged as an alternative. Fantasy sports participants select individual players from professional sports leagues to create their own teams. Participants manage these teams throughout the course of an entire season, and participants often join fantasy sports leagues with their friends, family members, and/or colleagues. Participants are awarded points based on the real-life performance of the players on their fantasy teams. Fantasy scoring relies on the performance of only a few all-star athletes at a time. This can be frustrating for participants, as the game does not focus on the teams on the field, but only the individuals on the participant's fantasy team. The management of fantasy teams can be a very long and time-consuming process, as participants must manage their fantasy teams on a weekly basis.
As a result, a system that allows league members the ability to participate in a competition that automatically determines a winner without requiring a large investment of time is desirable. Thus, participants may more actively follow sporting events. Finally, it is desirable for a game that utilizes sports betting concepts in a league-based game.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems identified above.